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Along with owning a business comes many responsibilities. One of the most important, and often overlooked, is being sure your facility follows the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance measures. It’s easy to let these details fall by the wayside, particularly if you’re leasing space. The assumption is that the builder would have followed ADA guidelines from the get go, but unfortunately this is not always the case.

How can you be sure you’re compliant with these government mandated requirements? There are different rules for every area of a given structure, but let’s focus on one area where you can make an immediate difference, your doors.

ADA Door Accessibility Requirements

According to ADATA.Org, private and public facilities must have at least one door providing accessibility at these locations:

• Each accessible entrance (at least 60% of public entrances in newly built facilities must be accessible to individuals who use wheelchairs or have mobility impairments).
• Each tenant space in a mall or other building with multiple business tenants.
• Accessible rooms and spaces within buildings.
• Entrances to buildings from all parking structures, tunnels or elevated walkways.
• At least one restricted or secured entrance (if applicable).
• Along each building’s required route of escape or evacuation.
• Public entrances serving different fixed routes within transit facilities.

When gauging your business for ADA compliance, double check these common problem areas:

• Clear door width of 32 inches (clear width is measured between the face of the door itself and the opposite stop.)
• Hardware must require 5lbs of force or less to operate, be operable with one hand and not require tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist
• Thresholds must not exceed ½ inch
• Ample maneuvering space which varies depending on door type and direction of approach.

Door Options

There are many different types of doors but not all of them are well suited for ADA compliance. For instance, revolving doors are energy efficient and add a nice look to your storefront, but may be difficult to operate for someone in a wheelchair.

The safest bet, although not required by the ADA, is to go with an automatic door system. Automatic doors are ideal since they require little to no effort to open. Motion activated doors provide the most convenience. Just be sure that if you choose an automatic swinging door (as opposed to a sliding or folding version) that the door swings away from the person activating it

You also have the option of adding an automatic door opener. Placing a manually operated door opener near a side-hinging door makes a big difference for handicapped individuals and takes you a step further toward being ADA compliant.
It’s not only customers with physical limitations that appreciate the added convenience of automatic doors. For an average individual, trying to access a traditional door while pushing a stroller and carrying shopping bags can be quite frustrating. Automatic doors help ensure all of your customers will enjoy a hassle free shopping experience.

For more information on automatic door installation in the Boston area, contact Kenny’s Lock.

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Making the upgrade from the traditional lock and key system to a more secure access code system is a smart move for the majority of business owners.

There are a many types of commercial locks but these intelligently controlled devices, operated by swiping a card or entering a code, provide you with increased control to building access. Once you’ve selected the system you’d like to install, there are still steps to be taken on your end to ensure everything goes smoothly on installation day. Add these items to your day of checklist.

List Employees

Have a list of all employees you’re giving access to and exactly which areas they’ll be permitted to enter. Do your best to include every single person who needs right of entry to the building because once the installer finishes the job, you’ll be assessed additional service fees for them to make any adjustments down the road. 

Break this list down even further into specific groups. For example, if you have an early and a late crew you should advise the installer so that they can grant them appropriate access during those hours. Do this with the various areas of the building as well. It’s not uncommon for access code locks to be installed on more than just the exterior doors on a given building. If you have locations in your business, like a finance wing where you keep petty cash or a stocking room containing expensive product, you may consider limiting access to only those who absolutely need to be there. Have this information ready when the installer shows up. 

Inspect Doors

Sure, having an access code system is more secure than a traditional lock and key, but it won’t do you any good if the doors themselves are in bad shape. Carefully go through your building and check that each door is working properly. This means that door closers are allowing the door to fully shut, door jams are cleared of any debris and that the doors are latching properly.  

Ask for Input

The entire point of installing an access code system is to increase security, but you don’t want the extra precautions to cause an inconvenience to your employees. Make sure you speak to them about their particular needs when coming to and from work. For instance, you may have an employee who comes in at 7 a.m. when the rest of their team gets there at 8 a.m. It would be a huge pain if they were not able to continue putting in longer hours because their groups access keys didn’t work until a later time. It’s these seemingly small details that will make a big difference on your installation day and in how happy you and your employees are with the new system.

If you’re looking for a reliable locksmith in the Boston area, contact Kenny’s Lock. 

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With all of the things to consider when it comes to running a business, you may not have given too much thought to your doors. Take a moment to notice over the next few days how many times a customer or employee approaches your doors with their hands full, leaving them to juggle what they’re holding to get inside.

If that isn’t an issue, consider the hygiene implications of dozens, if not hundreds, of people touching each door on a daily basis, especially during cold and flu season. Is your business in the healthcare or food service industry? Hygiene is paramount! There are a lot of great benefits of automatic doors, including convenience and energy savings to name just a few. With all of the options for automatic doors how do you choose the best one for your business?

Direction of traffic

Think about the doors you might replace. Is traffic moving all one direction or do the doors serve as both entrance and exit? A great option for a two-way door is an automatic sliding door. If traffic moves only one way, an automatic swinging door could be the door for you.

Amount of traffic

Consider the number of employees and customers who are entering and exiting your business every day. Are there times when multiple people are all trying to enter or exit at once? If so, an automatic revolving door, which allows for high capacity use, might be best for you.

Available space

The amount of space surrounding your doors is important. Your business may be too small for an automatic revolving door, but you may still have enough space for automatic swinging doors to open in or out. Some businesses, however, benefit most from telescoping sliding doors or automatic folding doors that take up the least amount of space.

Climate and temperature control

One of the great advantages of automatic doors is energy savings over time. While the doors do require power to operate, many styles can help insulate a business, keeping the heat in during the winter and out during the summer. For areas with very hot summers and very cold winters, revolving doors are a great option because the entrance is never fully open at any given time, helping to cut costs of heating and air conditioning.

Maintenance – It is important to proactively maintain automatic doors to ensure they work properly over time. In considering the type of automatic door that is best for your business, consider the maintenance schedules for different types of doors. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations for different automatic doors to see which makes the most sense for your business.

Virtually every business would benefit from hands-free, automatic doors and upgrading your current doors is easy with a hands-free door kit. There are some specifications you’ll need to know about your current lock system, so contact a professional to help with selection and installation.

If you’re ready to make the switch, contact Kenny’s Lock for a professional opinion and installation assistance in Boston..